The Haunted Hayride was a hauntingly good time!

Thanks to all the parents who came and joined us for the fun!The weather was good and the ride was scary. The s'mores were toasty and on the moonlight walk, some wanted to RUN!Happy Halloween everyone!

Haunted Halloween Hayride

October 25 is the date to remember. Please see the email or the calendar for the details of where to meet, times and contact info.

Here is a fun hayride printable for your Brownie!

Please confirm with me if you are planning to attend the Hayride so that I can order enough patches.


Remember NO MEETING MONDAY, OCTOBER 20.


You can do any of the try-its you would like to try at any time. Many of you have asked about them and please feel free to try them on your own.

Fall Break Fun

We will not meet Monday, October 20, because there is no school. If your Brownie would like to work on some try-it's at home. Here are a few that are fun and if you are new to our troop your brownie may not have earned them yet. For most there are 6 options. Brownies must complete 4 to earn the try-it. Any that you decide to try, please print, mark the options you tried, then sign and bring to a meeting and I will get you your try-its. (or email me with the options & try-it name)

Make it - Eat it is a good family try-it. We are moving in to a part of our Brownie Quest Journey that focus on connecting at home and promoting a Healthy Living family. This one looks at food as fun to grow, prepare and eat.


My Body is a great active try-it. It helps girls discover more about their body and connect to healthy activity. Healthy Habits: Exercise, rest sleep, regular check-ups and cleanliness are all important to good health. This try-it gives come fun activity to learn more about healthy living.

If you are traveling over this Fall Break, you may want to try the Travel Right try-it. Brownies can discover, connect and take action in preparing for a sleep over or trip with the family.

What ever you decide to do, Have Fun! Enjoy some family time, connect, discover and take action!

Monday, October 6

Monday was a busy day. We discovered our 1st key to Leadership. The Discover Key!

The Discover Key
It's all about me;
What I believe
And my family.

Your brownie can write this chant on page 52 of their Brownie Quest book. Next week we will start working towards the second key. We will work on team skills, and finish the Her Story try-it.

This week, please talk with your Brownie about issues that face women today and in the past. A part of the homework is to talk to up to 5 women about 3 issues that each woman faces or faced in their lifetime. Make notes of them and we will discuss it in opening circle on Monday, October 13. Speaking of a lifetime, I sent home a time line for the girls to complete. This does not need to be completed until after fall break (October 27). It's a fun way for them to write their story. They can create a time line for themselves and discover what they have done to might like to have happen in their future.

For next week, on the Brownie Quest we are reading chapter 2 and following the Brownie Elf's on the Journey.

Thank you for your continued support!

Her Story

Monday, October 6 we will do the "Her Story" try-it.
Over this weekend, if you have a chance to talk to your Brownie about important issues that you have faced in your lifetime and have her ask 4 other women about what they believe are the 3 most important issues facing women today. Try to have them ask women of different ages, from teens to women over 70 years old. Try to talk to women that are the same race or ethnic group than your own (to help get a unique perspective). Ask them to think about how the answers are similar or different. Please help them write down some notes or review the answers with them so that they can talk about it during opening circle on Monday.
We will read the Juliette Gordon Low story on Monday, make a "Your Story" time-line, and work in groups to Create Tales from favorite fables and fairy tales to see how/if they would be different if written by girls/women now. They will tell their stories or act them out.
We have a fun and exciting Monday meeting planned. Looking forward to seeing you all!

Creating tomorrows leaders 1 girl at a time!

Your Brownie is on a Quest - a special journey to find out what it means to be a leader.
We will be working together to find 3 keys that help solve the mystery of that they open.
On Monday, September 29, your GS Brownie experienced her 1st adventure on the Brownie Quest, she discovered some the the talents and qualities that make her special. She can fill out page 49 and describe herself.
We took an "ELF adventure" to search for and discover the Values of the Girl Scout Law. We have a secret meaning for "ELF" Explore Link Arms Fly into Action. We paired off to discover clues hidden all around our "secret Brownie Tree house". A part of the homework for the week is to fill out page 50 on Discovering Values (of the Girl Scout Law).
This means that they have completed the 1st 2 steps in discovering the 1st key! To help them review:

1. Discovering our special talents & qualities
2. Discovering the values of the Girl Scout Law
3. Discovering family values (do at home, pages 51)

Next Monday we will put it all together and realize together the 1st key of Discovery.
We are meeting new Brownie friends in the book, Brownie Elfs. They will help guide us along this adventure. For this week, the homework is to read chapter 1.

This a very exciting time to be a Brownie! This year we are focusing not only on the try-its from the Brownie Handbook, going on an exciting adventure through the Brownie Quest book, upcoming service projects, but we are also making a good collection of SWAPS!

Last week was the Friendship knot (see instructions below) and this week we made a Friendship Stick! If you would like to send your Brownie's SWAP hat on Monday's they can wear it and put any new SWAPS directly on there at the meeting.

Here's a picture of 2 of the hats (Emmy & Raven). The hat can be any type you choose. It will be covered before you know it!
Just to review - the home work this week is to read Chapter 1 in the Brownie quest book and do pages 50 & 51 with family.

Thank you for sharing your Daughters with us. They are special little ladies and will all be great leaders one day!

Frienship Knot - not as hard as it seems

Sharing Hobbies

Here's our opening circle, promise & pledge time. We shared our hobbies with each other and made our 1st SWAP. It's a friendship knot. Should you want to make some at home, I will upload the directions. It seems confusing at first, but after a few it gets easier.
Homework for this week is for the Brownies to share their hobby or teach it to someone and either make up a "code name" or tell us their nickname next week.

Hobbies Try-it for Monday 9/22

On Monday, we work on the try-it "Hobbies". Our 1st few meetings have focused on getting to know each other as friends and better understanding Girl Scouts and Brownies in general.
Please take a look at the Hobbies try-it.
Ask your daughter to think about what hobbies they do. Do they collect anything? Play sports? Make anything? If it is possible they can bring an example either this Monday or the following. If you have time before Monday, you can discuss #1 and if the hobby is making things, maybe do #5. If not, no worries, we will get 4 options covered at the meeting.
Please have your girls read the Girl Scout Promise & Law at home from time to time. It is important that they know and can recite it with the group each week.
Thank you for your support. Please let us know if you need us to order the sash & insignias & pins for your Brownie.

Friends are Fun - Try-it #2

I have added those who signed up to send a Healthy Snack to the Calendar. If you would like to sign up for a specific date, please email Amy @ theakins@sbcglobal.net - there are many still available.
The meeting this week focused on "Friends". The try-it is "Friends are Fun". We made friendship bracelets and worked on writing a secrete code to a friend. The home work for the girls is requirement #1:

Look for new friends at school or at after school activities. Is there someone who is sitting by herself? Does she look lonely? Go up, smile, and introduce yourself. Then invite her to join you!

One thing I forgot to put on the Newsletter, is that the girls bring a quarter each week, at the end of the year we use the collection for either part of a service project or the end of the year party. This year, it may go towards the bridging ceremony to Girl Scouts Juniors.

We want the girls to bring ideas for activities, field trips and service projects that they would like for the troop to participate in throughout the year.

Troop # 840 - 1st meeting success

We had our 1st meeting for the 2008-09 school year this past Monday. We completed our 1st try-it, Brownies Around the World. The homework for this try-it was for the girls to come back next Monday with an interesting bit of information about any other country that they choose. It could have to do with Girl Scouts around the world or another culture in general. Very open option.
This blog will keep up with us for the year. There will be pictures from our meetings, field trips, and much more. I will collect everyone's email and send notices after updates. Please see the calendar link to the right. It has our plans for the year. We are looking forward to a great year of Brownies.

Going Green for Earth Day

Tuesday, April 22 is Earth Day.
Our Troop is working on a try-it called "Earth is our Home".
To save paper, we decided not to send home any paper or notes today.

Today we made a glass cleaner, picked up trash around the school playground and brought home a pack of seeds to plant at home. To complete this try-it, talk to your girls about ways to recycle at home, ways to save energy and natural cleaning methods. Here are a few facts to consider with your family:

• Americans will generate 246 million tons of trash this year alone

• We will throw away 11 million tons of glass bottles and jars
  
• 36 billion aluminum cans
  
• packaging alone accounts for 33 percent of the trash we make
• If each of us just lowers the thermostat 2 degrees in wintertime and raises it 2 degrees in summertime, we could each save 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide every year
• Every ton of paper that is recycled saves 17 trees

Here are a few websites that you, your Girl Scout and your family may find interesting:

• http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/human-footprint/
• http://ww2.earthday.net/
• http://www.recycling-revolution.com/

At home to complete this try-it if you do not already recycle paper, aluminum, plastic, and/or glass, begin this project with your Girl Scout.

Save energy! Unplug electrical items when not in use. Turn off lights.

Make Clean & Green cleaning products. Today we will have made a Glass Cleaner (which also good on tile or laminate floors). You can also use Baking Soda & water to clean bathroom or kitchen sinks. For a wood polish, combine 2 parts of Olive Oil with 1 part of lemon juice, dip a soft clean rag into mixture and polish away.

And talk to your Girl Scout about what it means to Reduce, Reuse & Recycle.